identity

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied…”And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
-Matthew 16:16-18 (NIV)

Isn’t it interesting how Jesus looks back at Peter after he confesses that Jesus is the Christ, and then reminds Peter who he truly is? “…I tell you that you are Peter…” It’s almost as if Jesus is saying, “You’re right, I AM the Christ, but do you know who you are? Do you know what you’re capable of? Do you know what I’m planning to do through you? Do you understand what that means for you?”

I’ve been thinking a lot about identity lately. Identity of myself, the people around me, and especially our church community. I recently asked our Core Community (a group of about 7 people who are journeying deeper with us) to share what excited them most about who we are becoming as the church that Jesus Christ is building. I’m excited to share these responses with you…

“People care and know your name.”

“I like how we’re taking time getting to know each other.”

“This is one of the first places we’ve felt we belonged in a long time.”

“I like our diverse make-up.”

“…our values and our goals, and how we emphasize relationships.”

“We’re a church for such a time as this.”

“We care about individuals and their thoughts.”

“I really like how we talk about relationships and how we celebrate everyone’s uniqueness.”

As I’ve chewed on these statements this week, I can’t help but celebrate in the fact that we’re becoming the church community that God gave us a vision to become almost 6 months ago. We are living more and more into our identity as we continue to advance, and it’s nothing short of thrilling!

I don’t know if there’s anything more glorifying to God than we we’re living deep and passionately from our hearts, when we’re learning to live comfortable and satisfied in our own skin. Few things in life are as significant as discovering your true self (a value our community is committed to), and moving forward in that life in an act of worship to the Sovereign Creator, a life created for a unique and glorious purpose!

Today, may you hear the words of Jesus in your life; “I tell you that you are ______,” and live deep from your true identity. Please know that we are so thankful for the way each of you are encouraging and supporting the identity of Awaken!